W 934 and water gin turning on the
triangle at Woolshed Flat, prior to returning its train to Quorn. 11 June
2000

W 934 was built by
Beyer Peacock &
Co, Manchester (builder's number 7411 of 1951) and entered service in
December
1951 as one of sixty "W-class"
4-8-2 locomotives delivered to the Western Australia Government Railways
for light lines service.
The W-class proved to be highly successful locomotives, displacing older
O-class 2-8-0T+T and G-class 2-6-0 & 4-6-0 types on secondary lines
and augmenting the V and S-classes on main line duties.

Most WAGR W-class locomotives were withdrawn
in June 1971 and joined the long lines of modern steam power that were cut up
for scrap at Midland Workshops, however 19 class members (W 901 / 905 / 906 /
907 / 909 / 914 / 916 / 919 / 924 / 927 / 929 / 931 / 933 / 934 / 941 / 953 /
954 / 958 & 959) were retained a little longer until officially withdrawn in
August 1972. Among these, W 933 and W 934 survived long enough to be
purchased by the newly-formed Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society in early
1974. Both were transferred in March 1974 to the Pichi Richi Railway's depot at
Quorn in the rugged Flinders Ranges, South Australia and returned to operation.

W 933 & W 934 have been stalwarts of the Pichi Richi Railway's steam fleet since
their restoration and capably handle trains through the steep and curvaceous
Pichi Richi Pass. The webmaster thoroughly recommends the
Pichi Richi Railway for any
steam enthusiast visiting South Australia!

For more information about the WAGR W-class
locomotives, refer to the notes for class-leader
W 901.